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Caucasus Heritage Watch

@caucasushw.bsky.social
311 followers 1 following 188 posts

CHW monitors and documents endangered and damaged cultural heritage using high-resolution satellite imagery. Led by archaeologists @cornelluniversity.bsky.social and Purdue University. .

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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
CHW will continue the costly work of cultural heritage monitoring using commercial satellite imagery. To contribute to this work, visit our website and click “Donate”. As always, we refer our findings @unesco.bsky.social and the Permanent Delegations of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to UNESCO.
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Graphs show overall statistics on impacts since spring 2021, while the table in the report provides additional details. 3/4
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Map shows spatial distribution of impacts documented since 2021, with new impacts (indicated by site labels) scattered across the region. 2/4
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
NEW RELEASE: Report #9 on the current state of 500+ cultural heritage sites in former Nagorno-Karabakh. See findings from satellite monitoring missions in fall 2025 and spring/summer 2026. Takeaways: 4 cases of destruction; 4 damage; 5 newly threatened. 1/4 tinyurl.com/bderkehr
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The cemetery survived wars and regime changes. It did not survive Azerbaijan’s 21st c. redevelopment. The destruction is linked to a rainwater and wastewater treatment facility. Read full investigation, including @Planet 🛰️evidence: tinyurl.com/z5bmpaek
tinyurl.com
A Cemetery Lost in the Rebuilding of Shusha
Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW) has documented the destruction of the Old Armenian-Russian Cemetery on the eastern side of Shusha, Azerbaijan, between May 9 and 14, 2026. The cemetery contained at least...
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The cemetery also contained 5 Armenian khachkars. These carved stone crosses predated the 19th c. burials by hundreds of years, linking the site to the medieval Armenian history of Karabakh. Together, the khachkars and graves formed a historical landscape spanning centuries. 4/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Tombstones revealed connections beyond Karabakh. One Latin inscription commemorated Sophia Regina Reander born in Moscow, likely to a prominent German scientist. Another belonged to Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the 42nd Jäger Regiment linked to the 1826 defense of Shusha. 3/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The 35 tombstones preserved evidence of some of the people and institutions that shaped 19th c. Shusha: Armenian families and artisans, Russian military officers, physicians, civil servants, and administrators. The site offered a window into the city's social history. 2/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
BREAKING: CHW has documented the destruction of Shusha's Old Armenian-Russian Cemetery from May 9-14, 2026. Full investigation: tinyurl.com/z5bmpaek The cemetery contained medieval Armenian khachkars and 19th century Armenian and Russian tombstones spanning 1810-1871. 🧵 1/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
As development activity encircles the cathedral, an active place of worship until 2023, CHW calls on architectural firms remaking Shusha to preserve both the authenticity and integrity of the town’s historic fabric. 3/3
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
The cathedral, built in 1887, was damaged during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Baku’s post-war restoration removed the conical roof atop the central dome, distorting the structure’s authenticity. New construction follows a master plan developed by Chapman Taylor. 2/3
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Satellite imagery shows a new threat to the integrity of the 19th century Ghazanchetsots Armenian Cathedral in Shusha. Between April 25 and July 23, 2026, buildings arose on the grounds of the cathedral, encroaching on a sacred landscape. 1/3
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Our book is out! Based on CHW’s research on the Nagorno-Karabakh wars, HERITAGE FORENSICS offers a new framework for investigating cultural heritage caught up in war, ethnic cleansing and secrecy. Download free Ebook or order (30% discount code 09BCARD). www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
CHW calls on Azerbaijan to comply with the ICJ's Dec. 2021 provisional measure. Authorities should work with the new residents of the village to preserve the historic Armenian church and the medieval and early modern traces embedded in its walls. (4/4)
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Dated on architectural grounds to the 17th century, today the church is in disrepair. It was altered and used as a club in the Soviet era. Despite plastered walls, fragments of old elements (e.g. 12-13th c. cross stones, tombstones, etc.) are visible. Learn more: tinyurl.com/yynwshaz (3/4).
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
The activity is likely connected to construction in advance of new settlement. Last week, Azerbaijani media reported the relocation of 14 formerly displaced Azerbaijani families (64 people) to Boyuk Galadarasi. tinyurl.com/pu8674da (2/4)
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
THREAT ALERT: The Holy Mother of God church in the village of Boyuk Galadarasi/Mets Shen (Shusha region) is under heightened threat. Using Planet imagery, CHW has documented earthmoving activity immediately to the east and north of the historic structure between Oct. 31, 2025 and May 14, 2026. (1/4)
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Coming soon from @cornellupress.bsky.social! www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501...
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
The concentrated destruction of Armenian religious sites and cultural monuments across Khankendi/Stepanakert suggest a coordinated program of heritage erasure that must stop, as per the @CIJ_ICJ provisional measure of Dec. 2021. (Photo credit tinyurl.com/24fxmerw) 5/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
We also provide CHW’s monitoring imagery for the destruction of the 2007 Saint Jacob church, likewise reported last week. 4/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
Subsequent hi-res imagery surfaced last week, published in RFE/RL (tinyurl.com/2s3a4jsp). Here we reinforce these findings with CHW’s monitoring imagery. 3/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
CHW’s assessment adds to a wave of heritage destruction in Khankendi/Stepanakert in 2026. Last month CHW first confirmed reports of the destruction of the 2019 Holy Mother of God Cathedral, btw March 3 and April 2, using Sentinel imagery, which offers low spatial resolution but high temporal res.2/5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
NEWS: The Armenian Genocide memorial in Stepanakert/Khankendi was destroyed btw 7/14/25 and 4/25/26 (+ a nearby memorial complex). Built on the 100th anniversary of the 1915 atrocities, the bell tower housed relics (human remains) from Der Zor—the Syrian town where hundreds of thousands perished./5
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 22/04/2026
Using Sentinel imagery, CHW confirms reports of the destruction of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral, consecrated by the Armenian Apostolic Church in 2019 in Khankendi/Stepanakert. Destruction took place btw. March 3 and April 2. Higher resolution imagery (forthcoming) will provide a clearer picture.
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
CHW's new method in heritage forensics helps pinpoint when sites are damaged or destroyed. Using two tiers of Planet satellite imagery, we narrowed the timing of an Armenian church's destruction in Azerbaijan from months to weeks. See how it works: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b497...
storymaps.arcgis.com
St. John the Baptist Church in Shusha
Advances in heritage forensics pinpoint when Azerbaijan moved from denying to destroying an Armenian church
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
As we prepare for Spring satellite monitoring over Karabakh, we've updated our Dashboard to enable searches of documented destruction, damage and threats to cultural heritage since 2021. New findings will be shared as they emerge. Explore the dashboard: caucasusheritage.cornell.edu?page_id=1819
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
DAMAGE ALERT: Possible illicit excavations in Khojavend, Azerbaijan may have damaged an 11th century Armenian church. CHW used multiple satellite constellations to analyze the situation. Read our latest StoryMap: storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/b76c...
storymaps.arcgis.com
The "Red Cross" Church of Bina/Tumi
Possible illicit excavations in Khojavend, Azerbaijan may have damaged an Armenian church
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
The Holy Savior Monastery is not on Azerbaijan’s monument inventory. CHW calls on Azerbaijani authorities to add this historic site to the list as a 17th century Armenian monastery and accord it all due protections to ensure its preservation. 4/4
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
This kind of scrap metal extraction recalls the looting of metal roofs from mosques and other architecture following the 1st Nagorno-Karabakh War, which CHW documented in our 2023 investigation, Between the Wars. 3/4: tinyurl.com/2trmkvf5
tinyurl.com
Between the Wars
A Satellite Investigation of the Treatment of Azerbaijani Cultural Heritage in the Unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, 1994-2020
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Known in Armenian as Sb. Amenaprkich Vank (Napat), the complex includes a chapel and auxiliary building with an inscription and cross stones. Sources note a restoration in 1888. These photos were taken in 1989 and 2009, after the latest restoration. More here 2/4: tinyurl.com/3hwwy83s
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
The 17th century Holy Savior Monastery located near Təpəkənd/Tonashen in Azerbaijan’s Aghdara District has been damaged. Between October 2024 and August 2025 most of the metal roofing that had been added as part of a 2009 restoration (in then Nagorno-Karabakh) was removed. 1/4
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Known in Armenian as Sb. Amenaprkich Vank (Napat), the complex has a chapel and auxiliary building with an inscription and cross stones. Sources note a restoration in 1888. These photos were taken in 1989 and 2009, after the latest restoration. More here 2/4: tinyurl.com/3hwwy83s
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Known in Armenian as Sb. Amenaprkich (Napat), the complex has a chapel and auxiliary building with an inscription and cross stones. Sources note a restoration in 1888. These photos were taken in 1989 and 2009, after the latest restoration. More here 2/4: tinyurl.com/3hwwy83s
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 12/11/2025
At CHW, we don’t speak often—but when we do, it’s because we have verified findings to share. Even in silence, we’re working behind the scenes. Help us reach 50% of our goal by Monday—give today: crowdfunding.cornell.edu/project/48028
crowdfunding.cornell.edu
Caucasus Heritage Watch
Help Cornell University raise $10,000 for the project: Caucasus Heritage Watch. Your gift will make a difference!
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
A $5 TRUE STORY Each month for 2+ years, a $5 bill arrives in CHW's mail—folded neatly in an envelope from one mysterious donor. It’s a small, steady reminder that every gift matters. Will you give $5 today so we can continue reporting on heritage at risk? crowdfunding.cornell.edu/project/48028
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Meet the CHW leads: archaeologists Smith, Lindsay, & Khatchadourian and political geographer Ghulyan. Since 2020 we've drawn on decades of regional expertise to respond to war’s impact on cultural heritage. Help us reach 25% of our crowdfunding goal today! crowdfunding.cornell.edu/project/48028
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Our crowdfunding campaign is live! Since 2021, CHW has provided independent satellite-based evidence on cultural heritage affected by the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict. Please contribute today to sustain this vital work. ➡️ crowdfunding.cornell.edu/project/48028
crowdfunding.cornell.edu
Caucasus Heritage Watch
Help Cornell University raise $10,000 for the project: Caucasus Heritage Watch. Your gift will make a difference!
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
CHW will continue the costly work of cultural heritage monitoring using commercial satellite imagery. To contribute to this work, visit our website and click “Donate”. As always, we refer our findings to @unesco.org 4/4 caucasusheritage.cornell.edu
caucasusheritage.cornell.edu
Caucasus Heritage Watch – Heritage monitoring and research in the Caucasus
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Current conditions for preserving Armenian cultural heritage in Karabakh are not favorable. As development and resettlement accelerate while international legal oversight appears poised to diminish, CHW’s monitoring work takes on heightened importance. Read more in the report. 3/4
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
New threats concentrate in Lachin region, where development has been intense. Threats also occur elsewhere where roadwork and development are underway, e.g., in Vangli/Vank and Shusha/Shushi. See CHW’s map of all impacts to cultural heritage since spring 2021. 2/4
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Monitoring Report #8 on 500+ cultural heritage sites in former Nagorno-Karabakh out today. See findings from satellite monitoring missions in fall 2024 and spring 2025. Key takeaways: no new destruction; damage to 2 cemeteries and 1 church; spike in # of threatened sites. 1/4 tinyurl.com/hm6daw9x
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
We're looking forward to joining @bellingcat.com for this conversation on Thursday at 10am EST.
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
As world leaders gather in Baku for the COP29 summit to advance solutions for the future, they should also call on Azerbaijan to protect the past – particularly the cultural heritage of Karabakh Armenians exiled from their homes. 6/6
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Also, the Ministry of Culture should add this 19th c. Armenian church to Azerbaijan’s monument list and plan for its restoration, in collaboration with Armenian architects. As the example of Cyprus has shown, bicommunal cultural heritage work can build bridges. 5/6
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
In a Dec 2021 provisional ruling, the International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan to “prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage.” Baku must investigate and hold accountable any parties who caused the damage or failed to prevent it. 4/6
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
The church remained in damaged but stable condition for decades until the recent collapse documented by CHW. The engraved cross, pictured below, is to the left of the large hole where the door once stood. More about this church here: tinyurl.com/pfk4bcmd. 3/6
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Photographs taken in the mid-1990s indicate that the entryway in the southern wall was already damaged by that time. Also, the stone facing around the windows was no longer present. 2/6
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 18/11/2024
Satellite imagery shows that between Oct. 5, 2023, and April 30, 2024, the 19th century Tandzatap church in Garababa, Zangilan sustained major damage. Most of the roof has collapsed, as has the southern wall which featured an embedded stone engraved with a cross. 1/6
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 24/06/2024
Preparations for COP29 may have a grave impact on Karabakh’s Armenian cultural heritage. Massive infrastructure and redevelopment projects are threatening, damaging, or destroying cultural sites in the path of omnipresent earth movers. Learn more in the report.
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Caucasus Heritage Watch @caucasushw.bsky.social · 24/06/2024
In this cycle, the impacts cluster in Shusha/Shushi district as well as in Kalbajar (villages of Zar/Tsar, Chirag/Chragh, and Gozlu/Vaghuhas). Also impacted: Khojaly/Askeran (Garabulag/Aknaghbyur village) and Khojavend/Martuni (Chartar and Hunarli/Tsakuri villages). 3/4
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